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Nuggets' Kenneth Faried healthy, ready for game two

Kenneth Faried is a Denver Nugget but also a Denver Warrior, a ravenous rebounder who changes games by dieting on Spaldings.

The power forward missed Denver's Game 1 win because of an ankle injury, but is playing Tuesday. "There's no 'Will he?' " Faried said Monday afternoon.

And sure enough, Faried's expected rebounding dominance this April against Golden State is thanks to his ascension last April against Golden State. Denver had two consecutive meetings with the Warriors, and in the first, on April 7, 2012, the rookie had one point and four boards in a loss.

"Everyone was saying how good (David Lee) did against me, how he outrebounded me and all of that stuff," Faried said last April of that game. "I just wanted to send a message that I'm better than what I portrayed last game."

Two nights later, the 6-foot-8 Faried made history. He became the first player in the shot-clock era to tally 27 points and 17 rebounds in 25 minutes. He then notched double-digit rebound games in five of the final nine games, after tallying just seven up to that point. And he averaged exactly 10 rebounds a game in the playoffs against the Lakers.

Monday after practice, Faried called that game "a confidence boost." Sure enough, he won't be going up against Lee, whose series ended with a Game 1 torn hip flexor. But even when Lee played, Faried had his way on the boards -- Kenneth averaged 36.8 minutes per game against the Warriors this season, his highest average against any team, while gobbling 11.

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3 boards, his second-most against any Western Conference opponent.

"Those were tough games, all close games except for maybe one, so obviously we thought he was an important part to winning three of those four games," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "In Game 1 (Saturday), we lost the rebounding game (55-45), and that's something we don't like to do, and he's a key to maybe recouping that stat. And he's contagious. His enthusiasm is contagious. Having no fear is contagious. His competitive spirit is contagious."

But will Faried start Game 2?

"I'll have to see him in shootaround, see how sore he is," Karl said. "But my gut says he probably won't start."

That would mean Denver keeps its lineup of Ty Lawson and Evan Fournier in the backcourt, Andre Iguodala at small forward and Wilson Chandler and Kosta Koufos in the low post.

If Karl decides to start Faried, who started all 80 games he played this season, the coach will have to make a decision about "Ill Wil." Do you slot Chandler at small forward, Iguodala at shooting guard and put Fournier on the bench? Or do you just replace Chandler with Faried, thus bringing the sparkplug off Denver's bench?

In Game 1, Chandler actually corralled 13 rebounds (he averaged just 5.1) but was 5-for-16 from the field, missing all four 3-pointers, en route to 11 points.

"We think it's a better matchup with (Faried) starting and Carl (Landry) guarding him, rather than Carl guarding Wilson Chandler, because Wilson is a tough matchup because he's more of a small forward," Warriors center Andrew Bogut said Monday. "But Kenneth, to limit his production, you have to really go out of your comfort zone, energy-wise, and match his intensity -- because he's one of the most intense guys in the NBA.

"I think he's just an all-effort guy. It's not like they're going to throw the ball in the low post and let him go one-on-one. That's not his strength. His strength is offensive rebounds, hustle points, loose balls, and he's one of the best in the league in doing that."

One aspect of Faried's game that's overlooked in his one-on-one defense -- it's not that great. But those around the team said it has at least improved in recent months, and the second-year man is beginning to grasp the nuances of tactical defending. Oh, and the good news is that at least he won't have to guard Lee.

In general, Faried has shown the staff an improvement in sponging. The guy is soaking in more details, which the team hopes he will then complement with his confidence.

"His confidence, you don't ever have to touch. The dude is confident," Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt said. "Now over time, he's more in tune as far as the game plan, he gives more insightful things during the course of the game -- 'They're playing me like this when I go to screen, so I'm going to change the angle.' He's kind of evolved."

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